OH GAWD. -collapses- OH MAI GAWD. I JUST TYPED ABOUT TEN PAGES OF THIS TODAY.
Gratuitous abuse of caps lock aside, I felt this chapter deserved a special mention: CHAR TELLS ALL. Have fun reading. ;3
Disclaimer- If I owned Kingdom Hearts, the game would be exactly like this, and I wouldn't need to write this fanfic.
Almost the instant the two of them were well away from the situation at Pride Rock, Roxas spun around to face Char, his countenance twisted in anger. "Why did she have to do that?" he murmured, shaking his head. Despite her hostile feelings toward Roxas for being the reason why Anxclof even followed them in the first place, Char couldn't help but eye Roxas with more than a hint of sympathy. It had to be hard, she thought, watching the one he loved put her life on the line for him and not be able to do anything.
But that sense of sympathy vanished instantly when Roxas jerked his head up to glare at Char. "I know you hate her for what she did to Sora," the Nobody hissed, his claws unsheathing. "But if we'd stayed behind…"
"Then we'd be two dead humans-turned-cats, and the remaining half of Sora's heart would be crushed," Char interrupted, trying to keep her composure and to keep Roxas' temper back at the same time. It was hard to do both without losing her own temper, though. "Now don't we need to catch up to them?"
Roxas stared at her, his chest heaving in ire. Then he took a deep, shuddering breath, muttered, "Fine," and strode on ahead of her. Char's eyes widened slightly as it hit her that she had actually seen tears glittering in and brightening his sapphire eyes.
She shook the thought off. It's ridiculous. He's a Nobody. He has no heart. Ergo, he can't feel the love for Anxclof that the two of them have been advertising. It's that simple.
Or… was it?
Char was brought abruptly out of her thoughts when she heard a call of, "Come on, Char!" from up ahead. She recognized Sora's voice just as she spotted the dark brown pelt that showed conspicuously against the green foliage. To Char's surprise, the lioness Nala stood at the Keybearer's side, almond-shaped eyes flicking nervously from side to side, as though she expected hyenas to attack them at any minute.
"I'm sorry I got all of you into this," she said, hanging her head.
"It's no big deal," Sora tried to amend, even though the situation itself contradicted his words. They'd almost been eaten alive, after all.
"Yeah, Sora would make a pretty crappy king anyway," Char added, coming up to stand next to the aforementioned lion.
"Hey!" Sora protested, and Char fought back a grin. As much as she hated admitting it, his characteristic pout – the normal reaction to a sardonic insult directed toward him – was strangely… rather cute when converted to feline form.
Then she mentally smacked herself. The hell? First you want to kiss him, and now you're calling him cute? What's happening to me?
"So you did want to be king!" Goofy was saying, and Char told herself to stop getting distracted during all of these conversations, whether they were important or not.
Sora shrugged in a show of casualness. "Well, you know…" He looked to Nala, whose shoulders were straightening in the aftermath of a sigh – probably realizing that Rafiki's prediction of Sora not having "kingly" qualities was true. "Um, isn't there anyone else who could be king?"
His words seemed to have a strong effect on Nala. The lioness had previously kept her head high and her shoulders back in a show of strength despite her dire situation, but at Sora's innocent question, Nala's gaze darted to the ground and her head lowered visibly. It almost looked like she was steeling herself to try and answer the question. At last, after several moments of silence, Nala spoke, her previous tone now replaced by one of uncertainty and heaviness. "There was, but… he died… when he was just a cub," she mumbled, without lifting her head. "He was Mufasa's son." More quietly, she sighed. "If only Simba were here…"
Sora's eyes brightened at the mention of Simba's name. "Simba?" he repeated incredulously, and Nala lifted her head, a tiny spark of hope becoming clear in her gaze. "But Simba's just fine! We were just traveling with him not too long ago."
Nala gasped. "You mean Simba's still alive? But where is he?" she asked desperately. Char felt a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth; it was obvious that Nala cared more for this Simba than she was letting on. The tiger knew about the heir to the Pride Lands' throne due to the stories Sora had told her of the summons he had had on his previous journey, so thankfully, she didn't feel too confused. The only question was, had Simba returned home after being forcefully released from Sora at the End of the World's destruction?
"That's the only problem," Sora said, rather hesitantly. He hated buoying people's hopes up only to let them down, and he winced as Nala's growing happiness faded immediately and she sighed. "We don't know exactly where he is."
"Oh," Nala murmured, then her lips quirked back in a smile of relief. "But still – Simba's alive! I can't believe it." She trained her gaze on Sora, who nearly flinched back at the fervent hopefulness on her face. "Please – tell me more about him."
"Of course," Sora inclined his head respectfully.
Nala nodded, breathlessly happy. "First, though, we need to get away from Scar and the hyenas." Her eyes lit up. "We should go through the Wildebeest Valley – he won't follow us there."
"I'm not so sure about those Heartless, though," Roxas pointed out. "I mean, since Pete was there and everything…"
And Anxclof, too. He shivered at the thought of what Scar might do to her now that she had betrayed the usurper. Though he highly doubted that Scar and Pete could gain control of the Avengers, there were enough of those Heartless that they could probably surround the lesser Nobodies and force them to do Scar's bidding – in other words, force the Avengers to go after Sora and the group.
"Ah, we can handle a few Heartless, right?" Sora threw this remark in mostly for Nala's benefit – she had hesitated at the mention of the Heartless.
"Yeah!" Donald nodded vigorously.
"I guess so," Char mused. Sora cast a sharp glance in her direction and opened his mouth to speak, but Roxas beat him to it.
"Shouldn't we get going, then?" the golden lion queried. "Hopefully before Scar decides to send some more Heartless after us?"
"Obviously," Char scoffed, and trotted on ahead. Sora had a brief, nearly-overwhelming flashback of the redhead standing outside Beast's Castle, striding on ahead with the same sense of purpose she had now, and the sense of déjà vu increased when she turned slightly and gave them the same impatient look that her face had held back then, albeit deadened a bit by her feline countenance now. "You going to follow me or what?"
"Duh," Donald growled, and flew on ahead. Sora chanced a look in Nala's direction and only had to catch sight of the skeptical expression on the lioness' features to know that she was wishing more than ever for Simba's presence. The Keybearer held back a tiny sigh as he realized that he shared her sentiment. The way things were progressing now, with so much tension between Roxas and Char – tension that, it seemed, balanced only on the tip of a knife – the sense of danger overpowered Sora's normal sense of bravado and set his senses on high alert. He didn't know much about how or why Roxas was here, of all places, but he did have enough common sense to notice that Roxas had only appeared when they had gone to this world. Whether the Pride Lands itself was causing it, Sora didn't know, but the knowledge that when he left this world, Roxas would probably recede back into the shadows that he had arrived from was still there.
And while Sora had no clue why Roxas and Char felt such a strong anger toward one another, he did know that he never wanted Char to be in so much obvious pain ever again.
Stupid Roxas.
Anxclof had never so much as entertained the idea that she would ever find herself thinking that about Roxas – plenty of other negative things, because despite her love for him even she could find his flaws easily: his stubbornness and tendency to think too deeply about things. But desperate times tended to bring out the strangest things in people.
So now she found herself thinking, stupid Roxas.
Because if he hadn't been there, traveling with Sora and Char for whatever stupid reason, Anxclof wouldn't have risked her plans to save whatever life he had left. Because if Roxas hadn't been there, she would have just let Scar and the hyenas tear the rest of them apart and be done with it.
Now her plans were in jeopardy, all because some god high above had decided to answer her most whimsical inner wishes and bring back Roxas without her control.
The whole situation was so ironic she could have screamed.
But as it was, even if she screamed now, only the hyenas who were guarding the hollow's entrance would hear her, and the sound of their laughter would only make her frustration at her predicament worse.
Scar had let her live after the treason she had committed toward him. That in itself should have made her happy, after she had offered her help toward him and then promptly turned around and betrayed him. But the alternative that Scar had chosen for her – imprison her in the stone hollow that was next to the "king's" den – until he decided what he wanted to do with her – somehow felt much worse, especially since as of now, Anxclof had no idea of "what he wanted to do with her" would entail. The Nobody found herself shuddering at the very thought.
She told herself to calm down and stop panicking; at this point, she was sure that if she had a heart, it would be pounding a mold against the inside of her ribs. All she had to do was get past those stupid hyenas that Scar had stationed in front of her temporary prison.
Which, of course, was easier said than done with those stupid dinosaur Heartless that Pete had decided to enhance the guard with.
Anxclof heaved out a sigh and sat back on her haunches, vengeful fantasies about mangy orange-and-black lions getting impaled by her Avengers' blades running through her mind. As of now, it seemed like all she could do was sit and wait until something caused the situation to turn in her favor.
The very thought pulled her lips back in a snarl and she would have punched the wall if she were human. "Stupid Roxas," she muttered, lashing her tail angrily.
She shook her head in a vain attempt to clear it and cast a rudimentary glance around. The walls looked mostly bare, which was to be expected, since this was a part of Pride Rock that Scar never even touched – he'd probably been more occupied with refurnishing the usurped former king's sleeping quarters to his tastes. The thought brought a scornful glower to Anxclof's countenance.
However, one difference in her drab surroundings caught her eye. She leaned closer, squinting and tilting her head to the side to get a better look at the picture that had been painted on the rock wall. It looked like a rendition of a lion cub. "The heck?" she murmured.
She made as if to turn away from the painting… only to stumble back to avoid getting either run over by a baboon in a huge hurry.
The ape seemed to ignore Anxclof's indignant, yet startled grunt and narrowed his eyes at the picture on the wall that, the Nobody realized, he must have created himself. He glanced down at the flower petals that he was holding in his hands, then emptied his fists to scatter said petals into the turtle shell on the rock before him.
Anxclof furrowed her brow in confusion. "Uh, don't apologize for nearly throwing me into the wall or anything…"
Her irritation only intensified when he continued to act as if she wasn't there. Her jaw clenched in annoyance, which hurt a bit more than it sounded, considering this form's longer teeth. "I said –" She broke off abruptly when a single naked finger was raised in front of her face in a silent, yet forceful request for silence. For some weird reason, that chiding gesture made her lower her head and flatten her ears, abashed. "Well sorry," she grumbled.
The baboon returned his attentions to the turtle shell bowl; he shook up the contents of the shell for a few moments before peering into it. Anxclof craned her neck to see over his shoulder, her curiosity piqued; but to her bemusement, it only looked like the petals had assimilated within the shell. For the ape, though, his old eyes saw images flashing together in the paths that the petals, which had ridden the wind from some not-so-faraway place to him, had taken; images that eventually blended to read out a message.
Anxclof reared back, startled, when the baboon suddenly let out a shriek of triumph and bounded up to the lion painting, using the cane stick he carried for balance. He reached down into what looked like a halved melon, which contained some kind of thick, red dye, and began to add something to the drawing, something she couldn't see due to his working fingers obscuring it. When he removed his fingers, her eyes widened as they took in the mane that he had added to the cub, signifying the representation's growth into an adult.
Without preamble, the baboon spun around and made his way surprisingly quickly to the hollow's exit. As the butt of his cane hit the ground where the den exited out to Pride Rock, Anxclof suddenly realized that this could be her chance.
"Wait!" she blurted.
The ape stopped, but did not turn around.
Anxclof hesitated, suddenly not knowing what to say and not liking the feeling at all. "Um, I… was wondering what exactly that was," she said pathetically.
"The king has returned," was the cryptic reply.
"Okay…?" Anxclof lowered her head and narrowed one eye in the illusion of raising one eyebrow. "Scar said the original heir was killed a while back."
"Bah!" The baboon waved his free hand in dismissal. "And you believe every bit of garbage that mangy fool spouts from his treacherous mouth?"
"W-well, no, but…" Anxclof was taken aback.
His next words caused that feeling to intensify.
"You love the golden-furred one, do you not?"
She didn't mean to, but a gasp escaped her. "How do you –"
"If you truly care for him as you say you do, then you will find him. Correct?" The ape turned his head halfway toward her.
It was ridiculous – how could this freak know she cared for Roxas? – but Anxclof swore she felt a shiver go up her spine.
Realizing immediately where she was and what she had to do, she gave a single nod of determination and, flicking her tail to summon her Avengers, charged out of the hollow.
Rafiki chuckled as he watched the hyenas explode into an uproar, waking the lionesses; the Avengers immediately set upon the waiting Heartless while their mistress made her escape.
Simba is alive.
Char could smell the impending rain in the air.
It was weird, she reflected as she trotted absently along at Sora's side with her blades at the ready just in case; having such a sharp sense of smell that even the slightest trace of a change in her surroundings sent her internal barometer into a frenzy. It was even weirder that she was traveling in a world that she had only read extensively about. Then again, this journey was giving her all sorts of new experiences – seeing the treasure in the Cave of Wonders, nearly getting killed by Christmas presents, becoming an animal to traverse a world without standing out…
And would growing a major crush on a dork count as one of those experiences? Char threw off the traitorous thought the instant it popped into her mind, her eyes narrowing in a mildly annoyed frown; and had she been human at that moment, she would have fisted a hand in her bangs in an attempt to help her think. As it was, however, all she could do was flex her claws against the dirt in a lingering urge to release her frustrations.
She tried to calm herself down by running her gaze back over her surroundings. The odd rock formations of the stone valley were erratically scattered around the small group, while sheer cliffs rose up on either side of the path that they were currently trekking over. Every once in a while, they would spot a skinny, bare tree, the only sign of life in these barren parts. Nala had sadly explained that since Scar had taken over, no rain had fallen in this part of the Pride Lands. But that was about the only explanation that the creamy lioness had given Sora and the others since they had ventured this far away from Pride Rock. Nala had gone almost eerily silent, with even the slightest traces of amusement from watching the group try to leap across a gorge that she had scaled easily gone, upon entering Wildebeest Valley; she still led them ahead, but with a melancholy, bitterly nostalgic air about her. Char was reminded painfully of herself when she was remembering the incident that had started all of this.
The tiger risked a glance across from her, at Roxas. For the most part, he, too, was forging ahead, with a new determination to his stride since they had left Anxclof with Scar. Char guessed that Roxas was thinking of what he would do to Scar when the group confronted him again, which wasn't too far off the mark.
The smirk that had begun to grow on Char's countenance at the thought of taking Scar down faltered a little as the memory of the way Roxas had shouted at her earlier returned to her mind. Char told herself that Roxas was and always would be a Nobody: destined to return to darkness in the end, to become the other half of Sora's heart at the end of all this. Yet… something in the back of her mind was nagging at her. Something that Anxclof had told her, what felt like so long ago – and the vivid quality of that day, the panic and sorrow and self-hatred that Char had felt, the horror in Donald and Goofy's eyes, the specific glow that Sora's heart had made as it had floated up to Kingdom Hearts, the way Sora's blood had dripped off of Anxclof's Keyblade, still made Char cringe a bit. The words Anxclof had said echoed through Char's mind.
Nobodies may have no hearts, but we remember what it's like.
Stupid, Char told herself immediately, trying to rationalize the situation. They're faking emotions, trying to get to you before they tear you apart. Plain and simple.
But… if that were the case, wouldn't Roxas have destroyed them the instant he had awakened, confused and angry, to find one of his kidnappers staring horrified at him with feline blue eyes?
He needs Sora to exist, that's why. And that should have been the end of that. Char's frown deepened when something inside her protested against that little assumption.
Sora had loved – Char flinched for reasons she didn't want to admit at the word; cared deeply for, then – he had cared deeply for Kairi. Char didn't know anything about Anxclof's Other, but the tiger felt fairly certain that the girl had probably been in love at the time that Anxclof had been "born," in a manner of speaking. So wasn't it plausible that, when she factored Anxclof's assertion into the situation, maybe… just maybe, Roxas and Anxclof's emotions were not feigned after all?
Char groaned softly and shook her head again. This was turning all of her research on its head, and she hated it.
"Hey," a voice startled her out of her thoughts. She whipped toward the owner of the voice, already bracing her claws and swords and drawing her lips back to deliver a biting retort, only to relax her hackles when she was met only with the curious sapphire gaze that she had come to know over the past few weeks. Char risked a rudimentary glance at her other side and bit back a sigh of relief; Roxas hadn't noticed her staring unashamedly at him while she had been thinking.
"Are you okay?" Sora queried, bringing Char's attention back to him. The Keybearer's voice was slightly muffled by the Keyblade in his jaws, but he still managed to get his concern across. "You've been really quiet the whole way here." Aside from battle grunts and stuff, he added mentally.
Char blinked and tried not to think about the way his eyes softened when set upon her, or the genuine worry in his voice. He's doing this for Kairi and Riku, not you, she scolded mentally. "I'm fine," she grunted in response, shrugging one shoulder. "Just thinking, that's all."
"Oh." Sora seemed a little taken aback at her lack of a sardonic reply. "Okay. I was just wondering, because you make a lot of weird faces when you concentrate," he added teasingly.
His remark had the desired effect; Char rolled her eyes and lightly nudged his shoulder with hers, her mouth beginning to quirk in the beginnings of a smile. Sora had to fight back surprise at that: the appearance of a smile on Char Nightblaze's face, feline or not, was wonderfully rare. Sarcastic smirk, yes. Angry grimace, yes. A pure, genuine smile, no.
He decided that he kind of liked it when she smiled like that.
"Heartless incoming!" Goofy suddenly yelped. Sora and Char tore their gazes away from one another and brought their weapons to the ready. A small group of Heartless that were almost bird-like, but for their black, yellow-eyed heads and bright red fist-like talons, hovered in front of them, along with some shadow Heartless.
Roxas had been watching the exchange between Sora and Char with some amusement and, he had to admit, wistfulness – he and Anxclof hadn't had much time to talk playfully with one another like that – but at Goofy's cry, he snapped to attention. The Nobody charged directly into the mass of Heartless and corkscrewed through the air with both Keyblades, successfully knocking back two of the birds at once.
"Nice, Roxas!" Sora yelled, and followed the other lion's lead. Char didn't join the fray until she saw Nala run off to the side like she had been doing whenever Heartless showed up earlier; only then did the tiger bring down one of her swords hard on the head of one of the shadows.
She managed to leap back from the Heartless' oncoming claws, but in her brief moment of distraction one of the birds managed to split off from its comrades and swing its talon-fists around to hit her in the belly. Char skidded back from the impact, the wind successfully knocked out of her, and the Heartless that she had been attacking chose that moment to set upon her with its claws.
Having taken out the remaining bird Heartless, Roxas turned his head about to look for the next enemy, and his gaze landed on the two Heartless attacking Char. Behind him, Sora finished off the bird he had been attacking with a stroke of the Hero's Crest and gasped when he followed Roxas' eyes, making as if to run and help Char.
But Roxas beat him to it. He raced toward Char and, upon reaching the Heartless, spun around in a circle in a way that made his two Keyblades a milky-gray blur before performing a complicated twist with his body that slammed the Oathkeeper and Oblivion into the ground together. The Keyblades slashing into their bodies from Roxas' spin, then getting impaled by the tiny rays of light that had emanated from the ground upon the Keyblades' impact with it, proved to be too much for the Heartless, and they vanished.
"Are you okay?" Roxas asked, leaning down to lend her his shoulder if she needed it.
Char got heavily to her feet, blinking hard to try and get her bearings, too dizzy to register her wariness at Roxas' sudden concern. That Heartless' claws hadn't been sharp, but it had made many cuts along her side and soft underbelly. "Y-yeah," she mumbled rather shakily, and cleared her throat to steady her voice. "I'm fine," she said for the second time in as many minutes, her voice a little clearer. She allowed a self-deprecating smirk to cover her face. "I must be losing my touch, if I let a pathetic shadow Heartless do that to me."
"Don't be stupid," Donald grunted, lifting his staff to heal her. "Like it was your fault you got the wind knocked out of you."
"Don't," Roxas cut in suddenly, holding up a paw to the mage's staff. "We don't want to use our magic too early on." Ignoring the way the duck lowered his wand and began muttering under his breath – something about "bossy newcomers" – Roxas turned his gaze back to Char. "Are you sure you're okay?" he questioned seriously, even as Sora, Goofy, and Nala came to stand around them.
Char huffed out a sigh. "Now you're just a broken record. Yes, I am. Just a Potion or so and I should be ready to go again."
Goofy immediately produced a Potion from inside his shell, extending it toward her from where he held it in his jaws. Char had to blink, eyes widened just a little, at the dog-turtle's instant response. Then that look of surprise faded to one of acceptance. Yeah, guess I'm part of the group now, so they're helping me like they would each other.
She gently took the vial from him with a paw and a murmur of "thanks." After a moment of contemplation, she hooked one claw beneath the lid to pry it open before leaning down and licking up the contents. Never thought I'd be drinking a potion like this, she thought dryly as she finished up and lifted her head. She could already feel vitality flowing back into her limbs and her wounds beginning to close up.
"Let's get going again then, shall we?" she grinned.
"Yeah," Donald grumbled, and started ahead.
Up till this moment, Nala had remained in a kind of amused silence, but now she spoke – rather abruptly, to the point where even Roxas looked mildly bemused. "When Simba's father, King Mufasa, died," she said, causing everyone to turn toward her, "we were told that Simba died alongside him."
"'We' as in… you and the rest of the kingdom?" Char asked, tilting her head to the side. She must have decided to give us some more information. However random the explanation was after the previous incident, it was a welcome explanation.
Nala gave a single nod.
"And who told you that?" Goofy's ears swung as he copied Char's gesture.
The lioness' chest heaved in a sigh of despair. "Scar."
Of course. He lied about Simba – the true heir's – death so that he could take over himself.
"Scar said that since he was the late king's brother and Simba, the next heir, was dead, he was naturally the next in line for the throne. And since we were all in such despair from Simba and Mufasa's deaths…"
"You just went along with it," Roxas finished, looking a little sympathetic.
Nala nodded sadly. "Exactly."
In the past few minutes, it seemed that the silent contemplation that had left Nala had transferred to Sora; the Keybearer had been staring at the ground, reprimanding himself for not helping Char, but a flicker of movement caught his eye and he looked up. Seeing their leader's movement, the others followed his gaze and saw Rafiki standing atop one of the rock formations.
"It is time," the ape declared, sweeping his cane out dramatically and making the fruit atop the stick sway in the air. The group looked in the direction that his cane was pointing and saw that it led out of Wildebeest Valley, where the path wound off into the distance.
Nala gasped. "It must be Simba!" She whirled to face Sora. "We need to hurry!" Without waiting for a response, she charged off.
"Slow down! I won't be responsible for you if you get massacred by Heartless out there!" Char yelped as Nala rounded the corner. The tiger glanced at Sora. "Sora? We need to go."
"Huh? Oh, right." He nodded in hasty agreement and started after the Pride Land native at a sprinting pace. Donald, Goofy, and Char followed at a steady flap, roll, and gallop, respectively; Roxas was about to follow after, but a weird feeling on his spine made him turn.
Was it just him, or was the monkey watching him a little more closely than the others?
The Nobody shivered and raced after the others.
As Sora ran, something hit him: the answer to the question he had been asking himself since he had had to sit by and watch Roxas come to Char's rescue, since he had seen Roxas try to lend Char his shoulder for balance, since he had seen the way the two of them worked well together. The name of the feeling that had been percolating in Sora's chest during almost all of his time in this world.
And that feeling was jealousy.
Anxclof didn't slow down in the slightest in her breakneck pace until the rocky ground beneath her paws was covered by long grass, and then was stripped again in favor of smooth stone. Only when she could glance over her shoulder and not spot even the slightest hint of Pride Rock protruding from the horizon could Anxclof come to a clumsy, albeit welcome stop.
Panting and gulping in air, she glanced around with narrowed eyes to check if she had been followed. Thankfully, the stench of hyena had vanished not long after she had left the plains behind her. After a few moments of tense silence that accelerated her heartbeat even further, Number XIV allowed herself to relax a little.
For the first time since she had escaped that weird baboon's dwelling, Anxclof surveyed her surroundings a little more closely. She couldn't help but shiver just a bit at the sight of the bones littering the ground. Somebody was too lazy to bother throwing away their scraps, she thought, twitching her whiskers.
A strange scent wafted across her senses, something that was almost too faint to be detected, but felt familiar and warm, like coming home after a long ordeal. Anxclof tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out the source of these strange emotions at a smell, of all things; but the answer eluded her as successfully as she had just done to Scar.
Even though she could sense that it was barely late afternoon, the Nobody still staggered slightly at the weight of the exhaustion that suddenly swept over her with the force of a tidal wave. Running around all day tended to do that, she reasoned.
Casting her eyes about in case a Heartless decided to leap out at her – Pete had stationed them all around the Pride Lands – Anxclof spotted a slight groove in one of the rock ledges around her. She smirked to herself. There we are, shelter.
She slunk across to the hole in the rock, still keeping her wits about her and summoning her Keyblade to be safe. Almost the instant her paw landed inside the small dwelling, though, she got an oh-so-pleasant surprise in the form of something distinctly slimy scuttling over her paws.
Instinctively she swung her Keyblade in the direction of the offender, and felt it connect with a small, sentient being; the answering flicker of movement, discernible even in the shadows, told her that the creature, whatever it was, had been thrown off into a corner. Anxclof shivered as she hefted her golden blade and scanned the ground beneath her, just in case there were any more unwelcome visitors; when nothing greeted her eyes, she settled carefully right at the entrance. She would never like small, scaly things.
Unbidden, a memory of the Organization flowed into her mind at the mental mention of her little anathema – no, it wasn't a fear; she couldn't have taken on countless Heartless, her fellow Organization members, or Axel's endless teasing and feel something as trivial as fear for insects, of all things. Having settled that, Anxclof didn't even try to hold back a tiny smile at her reminiscence of one such day of said pyromaniac's teasing.
He had returned from a mission with Roxas one day, on a day when Anxclof was just stepping out of her own dark portal that led back to the Deep Jungle. Needless to say, the Blade of Vengeance had recoiled in revulsion when the Flurry of Dancing Flames had presented her with a jar holding a long, hairy worm… thing… she hadn't even bothered trying to give a name to its species. All she had cared about was that it disgusted her beyond all belief, and that she wanted it out of her lack of life right then and there, dammit. Axel and Roxas had exchanged smug glances, and only later did she realize that Axel wasn't planning on keeping the affront to nature: he had just taken it back to the Castle that Never Was so that he and Roxas could see Anxclof's reaction. Well, the thing had come from Halloween Town, after all. Anxclof had vowed on that very day never to visit that world as long as she tried to exist.
The grin faded from the lioness Anxclof's lips as she remembered the urgency of this situation: if things in this world didn't end well, she might end up breaking that little promise to herself to get Roxas back for good.
She shook her head to try and get this fog of confusing emotions out of her mind and laid her head on her paws like she had seen the lionesses at Pride Rock do, shifting in an attempt to get comfortable.
Sleep. That was the best thing to think about right now. And with that in mind, Anxclof's eyes slipped closed and she drifted off to sleep.
Falcon and Copperhead are patrolling the forest together when the blond-haired scythe-wielder randomly speaks. "You should grow your hair out."
She has to blink at that, because it's so unrelated to what they came here for – taking down Heartless, keeping the Shadowed Desert safe, if only for the time being – that his off-hand remark almost seems like something to fill the silence. Briefly, Falcon takes a strand of her shoulder-length hair in the fingers of her free hand and stares at it, head cocked slightly to the side.
Copperhead laughs, causing her to look back up at him, still with a mildly bemused look on her face. "I'm not saying it looks bad the way it is," he amends, a little hastily, Falcon notices. "But I think it would look even prettier if it was longer."
Innocent as the comment is, Falcon can't help but falter in her step at the genuine honesty of it. Why is she blushing? Stupid blush, go away.
"Why?" she queries in a colder tone than she intended, slashing a vine aside with the Azure Ice Keyblade; it's as much an attempt to keep it from impeding her stride as to relieve her annoyance toward her hormones. Yes, Copperhead is gorgeous – and she cringes mentally to even admit that much. Yes, Copperhead treats her like an equal, whereas anyone else would either avoid her or revere her like their savior because of her Keyblade. Yes, Copperhead is her friend, and has been for months now. Yes, Copperhead always has her covered on everything, whether in battle or at school – his homework-thieving days, as she had elaborated to him a while back, are long over. But he doesn't like her in that way, right? He wouldn't egg on the gaggle of girls who are always shadowing him at school if he did – like Falcon, that is. So why does Falcon feel strangely hopeful at his compliment?
Remembering that Copperhead still hasn't responded to her question, she continues. "Do you think I'd be eligible as a member of your fan club if my hair was down to my butt like all those other girls?"
"Gods, no," Copperhead says almost instantly, speaking around a bark of laughter. And she has to look up at that, because she had been laboring under the assumption that he rather enjoyed having a flock of giggling idiots swooning over him all the time. "Don't get me wrong, I like flattery as much as the next guy, but it gets kind of old after a while." At the look on her face, Copperhead winks and adds, "Why do you think I was lurking in the bushes on the day I found you with the Keyblade?"
Why does Falcon feel the sudden urge to sigh in relief?
She shrugs, trying to hide her conflicting emotions. "Sure. Anyway, what's the story behind that little comment about my hair?"
"Nothing," he replies loftily, shifting his scythe in his one-handed grip. "I just think you'd look nice with long hair."
"Oh." Sensing that this conversation is over, Falcon looks straight ahead again.
Stupid hormones.
But she doesn't get enough time to dwell on even that, because the next thing she knows Heartless are materializing in their trademark spheres of murky black and purple, and all she's allowed to focus on is dodging attacks and beating Heartless down.
"So," the blond-headed girl scoffs suddenly, as she and Falcon are standing next to each other putting the training rapiers up for the day, "you and Copperhead, huh?"
Falcon raises one eyebrow and furrows the other in bemusement. It's the first time that she has gotten that question from someone in the fencing club with her – from other people, yes. From people who are always focusing on tripping her to the floor, no. "Uh, not exactly. We're just friends," she says carefully.
"Sure," and there's a hint of bitterness behind the girl's skeptical tone now. "Well, just so you know, I'm planning on asking him out later, so don't get in my way."
This time, Falcon has to roll her eyes. "Yeah, sure, not a problem. I don't really care, because – oh yeah – we're just friends." Though her words sound firm enough, there is still a tiny part of her that's fighting the urge to summon her Keyblade and hack this girl's head off. Steady, Falcon tells herself, why are you feeling this way, anyway?
"Good." And with a flip of sleek golden locks, the other girl is gone. Falcon stares after her for a few seconds before groaning rather loudly and leaning back against the wall, palming her forehead with one hand.
Because if she doesn't like him in the way that high school is so famous for, then why is Falcon feeling oddly jealous at the thought of Copperhead getting an actual girlfriend?
"Hide me."
Falcon snickers when the abrupt comment sounds behind her; she doesn't even have to turn around to know it's Copperhead. "And why should I do that?" she asks in a mock-aloof manner.
"Because I'm your best friend and you love me." Falcon stiffens instinctively at the last part of his words, and, seeming not to notice, he continues. "And you want my sanity to be intact tonight when we go on a Heartless killing spree."
"Shhh, no one's supposed to know about that," Falcon hisses, fighting giggles as she casts her eyes about the teenager-filled hallway. She slams her locker shut and turns to face him, arms folding across her chest as she does so. "Come on, we're leaving."
"Thank you," Copperhead sighs in relief. He trails after her, weaving his way through the packed hallway in the same pattern as Falcon. She glances back every so often to make sure he's still keeping up with her, but she doesn't stop until they have reached one of the many back stairwells of the school.
She turns to face him and finds that he is pressing himself as far back against the wall as the railing along said walls will let him; she's not sure whether to roll her eyes or laugh at his obvious desire to get away from whatever he is hiding from.
"Think we're safe?" Copperhead whispers, his eyes flicking about nervously.
"It depends. What are we running from, anyway?" Falcon questions, crossing her arms again. She gives him a look of chiding curiosity as she leans her weight against the railing.
"My stalker." At Falcon's raised eyebrow, Copperhead protests fervently, "I know I have that fan mob, but this chick is insane! She follows me to class even after the bell rings, she would try to sit with me at lunch if we had the same lunch period, and sometimes she tries to follow me home. Does that sound like your average fan-girl to you?"
Falcon winces. "Not really, no."
"Exactly, then. You see why I'm hiding like this."
"Yeah, kind of."
An awkward, pregnant silence permeates the air between them before Copperhead straightens rather abruptly and claps his hands in a way that makes Falcon rear back, startled. "Well, I think we lost her," he announces, voice sugary sweet with false happiness. "Let's head home."
Falcon gives him a look that unmistakably says what the hell, man; but he's already moving off down the stairs. Somehow, she gets the feeling that a nonexistent stalker wasn't the reason he'd brought her in here.
Sora had to admit that this wasn't exactly the reunion he'd been expecting.
The instant that the six animals had appeared in the small clearing, the Keybearer hadn't even gotten time to properly appreciate the breathtaking view that the deeply-sloping cliff nearby offered, or the waterfall cascading gently down, before the sight before him made him halt in shock. At least Simba hadn't changed a bit: holding his own even as the same bird-like Heartless that had been plaguing Sora's group buzzed around the lion. He stood on a log that clearly served as a bridge to connect the two slopes that bordered a small brook, which seemed to originate from the waterfalls surrounding them, glowering at the enemies before him.
Sora heard Nala gasp behind him – whether it was in worry for Simba's current situation or out of happiness at seeing him again, he couldn't tell – the instant before said lion threw his head back and let out a ferocious roar, a sound that echoed around them and made even Char take a step back. The Heartless disappeared, as though frightened off by Simba's obvious resolve.
Simba stood there for a few moments, his form fully revealed now that the Heartless had gone. "Hey, Simba!" Sora called.
The lion turned just in time to see the five strangers bounding toward him, and those amber eyes narrowed warily. Surprise flared briefly within Sora; he had expected Simba to react a little more happily at Nala's presence, at least, since she had explained to Sora that she and the king-to-be had been childhood – cubhood? – friends. But when Sora turned, his growing smile flickered at the lack of creamy fur in his vision. He had a split second to wonder where she had gone before he turned around and spotted Simba crouching into a fighting stance.
"H-hey, it's me, Sora!" the Keybearer said hastily, flicking his tail toward the bird and dog-turtle behind him. "Donald and Goofy are here, too!"
Simba leaped down from the log-bridge and padded closer, his eyes still slitted as he eyed Sora, Donald, and Goofy; his gaze swept very briefly over Char and Roxas, who tensed, ready for a fight if need be. Then something seemed to light up in Simba's eyes and a grin spread across his face. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!" he cried, leaping forward and nuzzling Sora into a feline hug. The brown cub stumbled and fell flat onto his back at the force of Simba's strength, eliciting a few chuckles from his companions. Even Char had to grin softly at the sight.
"What happened to you?" Simba asked, staring in wonder at Sora's feline body.
Sora opened his mouth to answer, but a set of dual, terrified screams brought the reunion to a grinding halt in its tracks. Simba's head jerked up, his widened eyes directed toward the forest beyond the oasis clearing, obvious horror weaving across his features.
"Help, Simba! Help!" a shrill voice howled.
"She's gonna eat us!" a raspy voice screamed.
Simba leaped to his paws, allowing Sora to do the same. The younger couldn't help but think of how he hadn't seen Nala earlier, and felt a surge of fresh alarm within him.
"Timon? Pumbaa?!" Simba shouted, and when he got no response, he looked frantically at Sora. "Something must have happened in the jungle. I have to go help my friends!"
"Okay, we'll back you up!" Sora called, even as Simba was charging into the green-laden, leaf-shaded tunnel that led into the forest.
He glanced to his companions. "Let's go."
Roxas nodded, the light from his Keyblade summoning already dying down around his face and tail-tip. "Right."
Char blinked in fleeting surprise at Roxas' willingness to listen to his Other, but mentally shook that off and gave a smirk of her own. "You should know my answer by now, Key-boy."
Sora grinned in response and set off toward the jungle, followed closely by Donald and Goofy. Roxas left a little more sedately, casting a sidelong glance toward Char before leaving behind his Other. Char sensed that someone's gaze was on her and turned just in time to see Roxas trotting off. He looked back and called, "Are you coming or not?"
"Of course," Char bit back instantly, and bounded after him, still slightly uncomfortable knowing that he'd been staring at her, for whatever reason.
She summoned her dual swords to distract herself. Not like it mattered right now, because Sora needed her anyway.
Upon leaving the oasis behind them, the five of them were greeted by a strange sight: a large warthog cowering back against a fallen tree trunk with a long-bodied, skinny meerkat, and what looked like the side of a cream-pelted lioness ready to pounce at them. Sora's senses went on high alert when he recognized Nala, who was crouching low in preparation to dig her claws deep into her prey.
He opened his mouth and drew in a breath to try and stop her, but in the next instant, two things happened at once: she leaped, and a red-and-gold blur shot out from the foliage next to her and bowled her over. Sora's eyes widened. "Simba, wait!" he shouted, but he was ignored.
"Stop!" Donald yelled.
"It's Nala, you idiot! You know, your childhood friend?" Char's desperate words fell on deaf ears as Simba and Nala grappled, standing on their hind legs to get a better chance of slicing the other's throat. Simba managed to push Nala back against a tree, but she quickly turned it to her advantage, using both forepaws to slam his body down hard on the ground.
None of the animals watching could see Simba's expression, yet some kind of realization must have crossed his features, because in the next moment he gasped out, "Nala?"
At the sound of her name, the lioness' ferocious snarl died down into an expression of shock that lingered on her countenance even as she drew back to get a better look at the lion she'd known so well. She backed up into the tree she had just been pinned against, still eyeing Simba suspiciously.
"It's me, Simba," the aforementioned lion said, stepping closer and giving Nala a tentative smile. Char rolled her eyes as he echoed her previous words. Maybe Nala will listen to him, at least.
Nala looked bemused; then recognition crossed her face and her eyes lit up – her whole face brightened. "Simba!" she cried. "You're alive!" She immediately closed the distance between them and pressed her head into the side of his neck, causing a look of flustered surprise to appear on Simba's face.
A flicker of moment drew Sora's gaze to the meerkat and warthog, who just moments prior had been cowering against the tree. Now, though, they appeared totally confused at this new turn of events, if the way the meerkat had dropped his jaw and his hands to the ground was any indication. "Hey!" the meerkat roared. "What's goin' on here?!"
"Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say your friend over here is in love," Char pointed out dryly, and smirked when Simba swung his head toward her and gave her a startled grunt. She was sure that if his fur wasn't covering it up, she would see an obvious blush on his face.
The warthog and meerkat turned at the sound of Char's voice, screamed rather loudly at the sight of the three adolescent wildcats, and raced back to the refuge of the tree trunk. Roxas sighed as he watched the meerkat hide behind Simba's foreleg.
Simba chuckled down at his friend. "It's okay, Timon. They're all friends of mine."
"So that means nobody's planning to eat anybody else for lunch, right?" Timon asked, staring warily out at the group.
"Friends don't eat friends," Char pointed out, inducing a snicker from Sora.
"Are you sure they're not gonna eat me like I'm some kinda pig?" the warthog whimpered, trembling against the tree.
"Pumbaa, you are a pig," Simba laughed.
"Hey!" Pumbaa barked, whirling around. "Call me Mr. Pig."
Everyone had to laugh at that, especially Char, who chuckled under her breath at the irony of this whole stupid situation.
Simba's own cachinnation died down a little, and he leaned down to Timon and Pumbaa's eye level. "Could you guys excuse us for a few minutes?" he queried, glancing not-so-subtly at Nala, whose eyes widened slightly.
Timon shifted his hands in a half-shrug. "Why am I not surprised?" he muttered.
Taking that as a yes, Simba grinned in thanks and followed Nala off through the forest.
"I'm just hoping they don't get attacked by Heartless," Donald murmured.
"Yeah," Roxas snorted. "That would be kind of a mood killer." Though his tone was sarcastic enough, Sora caught a wistful look in the other lion's eyes, if only for an instant. He guessed that Roxas was thinking of Anxclof; some part of Sora was also wondering if she had gotten out of her predicament with Scar, but another part of him cast it off, hoping guiltily that she couldn't plague him or his companions anymore.
"Well, we might as well go wait for them to get back," Timon sighed. "Though somethin' tells me they could be a while…"
"I'm just glad you guys didn't get killed," Sora said, trying to smile.
As it turned out, a few minutes turned into an hour, during which Char watched, her lips twitching in the urge to laugh, as Timon and Pumbaa attempted to teach Sora, Donald, and Goofy some weird concept that they had picked up living here – "hakuna matata," that was the name of it. Roxas had gone off into the jungle to brood, as she had expected; she had mixed feelings about the Nobody's absence, because while she would rather not face the one who had been ready to kill her just a while ago, having him there would also mean she had someone to talk to, if only with a bantering or loathing tone.
As it was, however, with her watching Sora try to imitate Timon and Pumbaa's strutting across the log-bridge, all she could think about was this journey and how she had changed. If Riku had asked her, back in Twilight Town, before she had even met the key-wielding dork face-to-face, whether or not she thought this immense undertaking would impact her – actually, he had, a few minutes before Sora and crew had made their grand entrance into her life – she would have – had – laughed and given him an emphatic hell, no. She was just supposed to use Sora to take her revenge on the Organization for stealing her away from her home and everything that the majority of her life had been, supposed to make him her tool and then throw him away like one.
But… along the way, something had changed. She wasn't sure what, but somehow, Sora had ripped all her walls down and wormed his way past her defenses.
And now he had destroyed the final barrier, and his presence had grown to have the strangest effect on her.
Her tail twitched idly and she curled up into a tighter ball from where she was lying near the waterfall. Damn hormones.
A flash of creamy fur caught her eye, and Char spotted Nala emerging from behind the falls. She opened her mouth for a teasing remark, only to close it when she took in the crestfallen look on Nala's face.
"He isn't the Simba I remember," she murmured, passing the group and heading into the jungle. "Something about 'hakuna matata'…"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchanged glances, while Timon and Pumbaa looked caught between smugness and sympathy for Simba.
An instant later, Simba appeared from where Nala had come, and stopped in his tracks, looking after her. As soon as she had vanished, he walked right past his friends, ignoring their attempts to greet him, and disappeared into the foliage, his tail drooping.
"Somethin' tells me it didn't work out," Goofy said.
"Oh, really? What makes you say that?" Donald rounded on the knight and berated him.
Roxas stepped into view, still holding the Oathkeeper in his jaws, casting a glance over his shoulder. "I take it things didn't go well with the royal couple?" he said.
"Oh, shut up," Char grumbled, laying her head on her crossed forepaws.
Roxas rolled his eyes as the Oathkeeper vanished and he joined Sora's side. "Well, now what?" he asked. "The rightful king's depressed, Scar's got Anxclof held hostage or dead, and we have no idea what to do." His voice tightened audibly as he mentioned Anxclof.
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold up!" Timon held up both hands for emphasis. "Simba's a king?"
"Pretty much," Donald sighed tiredly.
"And now he's gotta fight his uncle Scar to take his rightful place on Pride Rock," Sora added.
The meerkat's jaw hit the ground again.
"My head hurts," Pumbaa groaned, putting a hoof to his head.
"Uh, look…" Sora searched for the words to say to assuage his friends. "I'm sure Simba will come back," he managed at last. "If he's not okay then, then we can sleep on it and decide what to do in the morning."
"Because prolonging the decision is totally going to help," Char muttered, rubbing her temple with her tail.
"Well, do you have a better idea?" Sora asked, narrowing his eyes at her. "It's the only thing we can do right now. Scar can wait a few more hours, right?"
"I think we're severely underestimating the situation, but hey, not like it matters. After all, procrastination makes perfect!" Char heaved a sigh. "Whatever. We'll be refreshed in the morning anyway, so at least your half-assed decision makes a little bit of sense."
Well, I'm so glad I have your approval. Sora shook that thought off almost the instant it entered his head. He couldn't afford an argument with any of his comrades right now. "So, is everyone else okay with it?" he asked. Donald and Goofy nodded, while Roxas simply gave a slight downward movement of his eyes and head to indicate his approval.
"All this is making me hungry," Timon said suddenly, and reached under the log to produce a large leaf that was filled with live insects. "Anybody want some grub?"
"Eww," Sora uttered immediately, recoiling at the sight; Goofy simply shook his head, looking vaguely disgusted. Donald, however, let out a cry of happiness and drove his beak directly into the pile of bugs.
"Hey, leave some for us!" Pumbaa cried, bounding over to get some of his own. Roxas shifted his own sapphire eyes away.
"I'm going to go look for some food," Char said, getting to her paws. "Hopefully some that isn't wriggling as it slides down my throat." She turned away and loped off toward the jungle. She thought she heard Timon shout something behind her, but it went all but ignored in her annoyance.
Stupid Sora. Stupid Riku. Stupid hormones. Stupid journey. Stupid Anxclof, stupid Scar, stupid… argh, everything! Char hissed out a vulgar word in a language that she'd learned while studying the small village in the world that held Beast's Castle – some French curse, as far as she knew. She unsheathed her claws, drew her paw back, and slashed four deep ruts into the nearest tree trunk; it wasn't near as satisfying as punching it, but it somewhat soothed her mounting frustration. The tiger stood there for a few moments, chest heaving with the force of her ire, before the sound and feeling of her stomach voicing its need for food reminded her of the reason she was out here in the first place.
Berries. I wonder if there are any berries around here. Trying to keep her mind on food – oh gods, what she wouldn't give for a nice, juicy hamburger right now – Char cast her eyes about. Something bright pink caught her eye, a collection of small, round berries hanging from a nearby branch. She uttered a sigh of relief and, bracing one paw against the trunk for balance, reached up on her hind legs to get them.
"Better not. Timon said the pink ones give you the runs for a week." Char stumbled in surprise at the voice that came from behind her, but thankfully managed to land back on all fours, if a little clumsily. She whirled around, intending to vent on the one who had dared interrupt her quest for dinner, but relaxed, albeit only a little, at the sight of Roxas.
"Oh, it's just you," she growled, turning away again. "The hell do you want? Are you going to force me to come with you to save your precious Anxclof at Keyblade-point?"
"If I was going to try and save Anxclof, I'd do it alone." His words made Char glance over her shoulder in mild surprise. Roxas' face was neutral enough, but his eyes simmered in obvious annoyance at her. "I know you two don't have the best relationship in the first place, so I know better than to ask you for help. And besides… if she's in trouble, Anxclof can make it out."
"Sure," Char snorted. "Why are you here?"
Roxas shrugged one shoulder. "The same reason you are. To try and get food." He lowered his head slightly, his tone becoming more dangerous. "Unless you want to make something out of it?"
Something from earlier came back to Char, of the way he had saved her from all those Heartless in the Wildebeest Valley. And something mellowed out inside her. "Look," she sighed, shoulders slumping in the effort it took to do this, to admit she was wrong; "we're never going to get through this if we can't get along, if only for now. I know, you can't get past the whole 'kidnapping you and putting you in a fake world' thing – I couldn't do it if I were you, either – but… well…" She hesitated, finally dropping her head. "Truce?"
Roxas blinked, then one side of his mouth quirked up in a half-smile. He stepped closer and lifted one paw, showing no effort at only standing on three legs. "Truce," he echoed, causing Char to lift her head in wide-eyed shock.
Of course, she realized that the reason his smile was growing was because of her own bewilderment at his acceptance, so she slitted her eyes and placed her paw on top of his upraised one. "Alright, now that I've gotten that out of the way," she sighed, lowering her paw so she could remain standing without stumbling, "I'm hungry. Let's go get some berries that aren't pink."
"Right, right," Roxas laughed, following after her. After a few seconds of trekking after her through the forest, he glanced around. "There are no Heartless here, are there?"
"Of course not," Char grunted, her own gaze roving about for an entirely different reason from his. "You're a Nobody; you don't have what they want. As for me, well… I'm sure they don't care about a heart that's not the Keybearer's."
"Gee, thanks a lot," Roxas laughed. His smile faded, though, and he added, "It's kind of weird – being inside Sora's heart all this time, I've gotten sort of used to having Heartless chasing after me – him – all the time."
"You and me both," Char grunted, but there was an audible tremor in her voice.
Roxas' furry eyebrows lifted at her obvious aversion to discussing Sora. "What, are you still mad at him?"
"Who?" Char kept her eyes ahead.
Roxas let out an annoyed sigh. "Sora. I know you don't like the decision he made, but you shouldn't be angry at him even now."
"Oh, yeah. Well, you never know – by tomorrow, Scar could have decided to kill off all the lionesses, or…" Char's voice trailed off.
The Nobody stopped in his tracks, staring after Char as she kept moving. It took her a few seconds to realize that he was no longer following her, and she halted abruptly and turned to glare at him. "I thought you wanted food," she growled.
"There's something on your mind. And it has something to do with Sora." Roxas hated to be blunt, but with Char being as dense as she was, nothing else would work.
His words hit the mark. Char reared back a ways, staring at Roxas in a way that was thoroughly reminiscent of a fish flopping about on land.
"It's fine," Roxas went on. "You know he feels the same way."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Char snorted, yet her own body betrayed the nonchalance of her words; her heart had suddenly decided to take up the pace of an inexperienced runner trying to do a marathon, and her legs suddenly felt rather shaky.
"Oh, come on." Roxas continued mercilessly, fighting the urge to smirk at Char's obvious new emotions. "Haven't you seen the way he looks at you? Just trust me on this, I know Sora better than he knows himself," he added dryly. "In fact, I don't think he'd even admitted it clearly to himself yet."
"Very funny," Char growled, trying to regain her composure and calm her frantically racing heart. And was that hope making its traitorous way through her body? "But your little theory doesn't work, because, oh yeah, I don't feel anything like that for Sora."
"You're a good liar, Char, I'll give you that." The golden lion narrowed his eyes. "You've been lying to him this whole journey and we both know it. But these kinds of emotions… you can't lie about them. It just doesn't work. Anxclof and I proved that much, right?"
Why did Char suddenly feel out of breath? And her pulse was still roaring in her ears, to the point where she thought her heart would truly leap out of her chest. It must be the feline anatomy, she told herself, I wouldn't be feeling like this if I were human.
Or… would she?
Roxas took her lack of rebuttal to continue. "After all, not even the lack of a heart can put down love, right?"
Love. Love. The word echoed in Char's head almost mockingly, and abruptly, she found herself feeling rather dizzy. Oh gods, he mentioned the l-word. "Kairi –" she heard herself saying faintly.
"Isn't the one Sora loves anymore," Roxas finished. He let the smirk that had been fighting to take over his countenance do so. "Think about it, Char. Leave it to yourself to figure out whether those feelings are mutual."
Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and vanished into the jungle.
Char stood there, staring wide-eyed after him, her chest heaving like a bellows and her legs feeling like marshmallow. For the first time, she let herself recall the way she had felt after Sora had taken out that massive Heartless on the Gummi ship. So many emotions hit her when she realized that the way she had felt then – how she'd wanted to hug him and kiss him and hit him all at once – wasn't just because of her own damnably rampant hormones; so many things assaulted her sense of emotion that she nearly stumbled with the force of it: confusion, anger at herself, the feeling of a heavy burden settling itself on her shoulders and refusing to move itself.
But more than anything, she felt a sense of acceptance. And the other emotions intensified at their single, overpowering partner.
And out of the quagmire of her own emotions, a single realization emerged, one that had Char stumbling back against the nearest tree and staring off wide-eyed into the distance in a way that did not fit the once-so-well-guarded Charisa Nightblaze.
She was in love with Sora.
LOL WHO SAW THAT COMING? -immediately bricked by happy SoraChar fans-
Uh, yeah. x.x Review?